Chapter 43: Milking
At five in the evening, Naoki returned to the ranch with the Nacli and Skiddo. The construction team, busy building the salt shelter, hadn't left yet. Zack's truck was also parked in front of the ranch, and his crew was standing in front of the salt shelter, observing construction work.
Kora was the first to notice Naoki's return. She pointed and said to Zack, "He's back."
Zack turned around, laughed heartily, and said, "Finally back! Do you have anything to sell today?"
"Yes!"
Naoki and Koraidon walked to the lake and together pulled up the fishing net. Suddenly, all the fish in the lake were lifted into the air.
"Wow! That's a lot!" Zack was surprised, then walked over and started weighing the fish.
While writing in his ledger, he said to Naoki, who was waiting beside him, "By the way, Naoki, the news of your successful fishing has spread throughout the entire Cascarrafa market. A seafood restaurant in town heard about it and wants to partner with you, ordering fish exclusively from you. Are you interested in collaborating?"
"A seafood restaurant?" Naoki was a bit surprised.
Zack nodded, a smile appearing on his tanned face, his white teeth gleaming. "It's a very famous seafood restaurant. Many people from other towns come here specifically to taste their delicious food!"
Naoki pondered for a moment, then declined the offer. "I'll pass."
The ranch was too far from Casseroya Lake and the Paldean Sea, and the way he and Koraidon caught fish was primitive. This method was only suitable for the initial transition. If he continued fishing day and night like this, it would be worse than a 9-9-6 work schedule! Moreover, raising Nacli was much more profitable than fishing.
"I understand," Zack nodded. "I'll let them know. Okay, the total comes to 3,360 Pokédollars!" He took out the exact amount from his bag and handed it over.
Naoki accepted the payment.
Zack turned back to his van. "See you tomorrow!"
Naoki nodded slightly. "See you tomorrow!"
Zack drove off in his van.
Kora and her construction team also stopped working. "It's getting late today. We'll be back tomorrow to continue."
"Okay."
Watching Koraidon leave, Naoki took out eight Poké Balls from his backpack and released the Nacli and Skiddo one by one. The eight Pokémon looked around curiously.
"This is our home from now on!" Naoki declared.
"Nacli~"
"Maa!"
The Nacli seemed happy, while the Skiddo were immediately drawn to a lush green meadow. They ambled across the vast grassland, occasionally lowering their heads to nibble on the fresh, verdant grass.
Since the salt shelter hadn't been built yet, Naoki brought the Nacli inside the house, choosing to let them stay there overnight. The Skiddo remained outside, where they preferred to be on the grass.
After briefly introducing the Pokémon to each other, Naoki hurried to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Cyclizar and Smoliv didn't react much to the new arrivals. Cyclizar went outside to watch the Skiddo graze, Smoliv lay sleepily in its flowerpot, and Koraidon followed Naoki to the kitchen.
Alcremie, however, was curious about the Nacli.
"Alcremie?"
The Nacli timidly looked at this Pokémon that exuded a sweet fragrance. Compared to them, Alcremie was larger, and being new to the environment, the five Nacli huddled together in fear.
"Alcremie..." Alcremie was a bit confused. 'Am I that scary'?
To put them at ease, Alcremie decided to share its delicious whipped cream with them!
So, when Naoki brought dinner to the table, he saw the Nacli covered in cream. The Nacli were nibbling on the cream, looking very happy. Alcremie stood in front of them, gazing at these rock-like Pokémon with a cheerful expression, sharing its delicious treat.
"Alcremie!" 'Eat it! Don't be afraid of me! After eating the cream, we'll be good friends'!
Naoki couldn't help but smile. Although he didn't know exactly what had happened, it seemed they had already become friends!
Naoki placed the food on the table, and as he glanced at the Nacli, something unexpected caught his eye. The whipped cream from Alcremie and the rock salt from the Nacli had combined, creating a magical chemical reaction.
Relevant information popped into Naoki's mind.
[Salted Caramel Cream: A brand new cream that combines the flavors of milk, caramel, sweetness, and rock salt. The perfect blend of various flavors makes it a good choice for desserts. It is very appealing to Pokémon who enjoy sweet and salty flavors.]
"Alcremie!" Seeing Naoki, Alcremie turned around and called out happily.
Seeing that they seemed to be getting along well, Naoki said casually, "Remember to take good care of these Nacli for me!"
"Alcremie!" Alcremie promised that it would look after these strangely scented Pokémon!
Naoki smiled, imagining the Nacli evolving into Naclstack with Alcremie, who had bonded with them, riding on their shoulders. The combination of caramel cream and rock salt sounded delicious!
The pleasant dinner ended, and the sky outside darkened. Naoki placed the Nacli on the floor of the room and then went outside with a bag of Green Grass Dumplings.
Smelling the familiar aroma, the three Skiddo immediately gathered around and started eating the dumplings Naoki had prepared for them.
Naoki circled them, then crouched down and carefully examined their bodies. He found traces of milk-producing glands in the wool beneath their bellies.
"As expected, Skiddo can also produce milk," Naoki murmured to himself.
Like Miltank, they could use the move Milk Drink. This move was originally exclusive to Miltank, allowing them to drink their own milk during battle to restore a large amount of health. Later, Skiddo could also learn this move.
He just couldn't understand why they drank cow's milk instead of goat's milk.
This group of wild Skiddo hadn't received any systematic training, and Naoki was unsure about their attitude towards milk production.
After pondering for a moment, Naoki pointed to the milk-producing glands of one Skiddo and asked, "Can I touch this? Can I try to get some goat milk from here?"
Immediately after asking, Naoki felt a bit awkward.
But the Skiddo didn't seem uncomfortable. It looked down, a confused and puzzled expression on its face. In its understanding, only baby Skiddo, who were still growing, drank milk.
'The trainer wanted its milk, but the trainer wasn't a baby, was he'?
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone